Improvement in railway rails



.W. .LTER.

Railway Rails.

NO. 141,979. Patented August 1 9, 1873 ATTEST: INVENTDR:

ATENT FFICE.

WILLIAM W. ALTER, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

IMPROVEMENT IN RAILWAY RAILS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 141,979, dated August 19, 1873 application filed April 16, 1873.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM W. ALTER, of the city and county of St. Louis and State of Missouri, have invented an Improvement in Continuous Itailroad Bails, of which the following is a specification The improvement relates to a continuous rail consisting of two members bolted together and so constructed that the strain shall be taken by both members at all times, but yet there shall be suflicient freedom in the connection to cause no injurious impediment to the variation in length of the members from changes of temperature.

My improvement consists in the combination of the lower member of the rail and a locking-bolt, constructed as described, with the upper member of the rail'that may be formed similarly to a common rail,except that the base has a somewhat different form, and the member has smaller section than a common rail.

Figure l is a perspective View, illustrating my improvement. Fig. 2 is a transverse section through one of the lock-bolts.

A is the lower member of the rail, having two ribs or flanges, a a, to hold the opposite sides of the upper member B of the rail. The flange a is curved over the edge of the base of the upper member upon the inside of the track, and the flange or rib a fits the outer side I) of the base of the upper member B. The outer side I) of the member B is beveled, as shown, so as to allow the said member to be inserted between the flanges a a of the member A, and so that the upper member B shall become sufficiently tight as its edge, 1), falls into place. Through the outer edge of the lower member A are a number of boltholes to receive vertical bolts 0, by which the two members are held together. The bolts 0 are clear of the edge of the upper member B,

so as not to prevent the necessary sliding of one member on the other during change of length from change of temperature, and also so as to avoid the weakening of the upper member by forming notches in its edge. The lower side of the heads 0 of the bolts are inclined so as to fit the top of the two members with which they come in contact, so that the bolts are prevented from turning by the fit of the head on the upper surface A, and hold down the edge I) with suflicient force without preventing the'neeessary end movement of one member in relation to the other. The edge I) and-inside of the rib a are beveled to ailow the base of the member B to be placed within A, and yet to make a sufficiently close fit after insertion; for if the edge I) and inner face of the rib a were vertical, the base of B could not be inserted, as will be readily seen, without leaving a space between them after insertion, necessitating a filling piece and complicating the device. The joints of the member A should be between the joints of the members B so as to break joints. Either member might be accidentally broken in one or more places without rendering the track dangerous. Fish-plates can, if desired, be employed at the joints of the upper member as usual, but would be unnecessary except on grades.

I claim- The lower member A, having-bent flange a, and beveled flange a,in combination with the upper member B,having one side of its base I beveled,-and the bolts 0, having inclined heads 0, all arranged substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

WILLIAM W. ALTER.

Witnesses;

SAML. KNIGHT, ROBERT BURNS. 

